Last week, I posted my 2009-10 preview for the Miami Heat.  I think we will have an above-average season, but I see the Magic taking this division.  Solid offseason moves, and a great man in the middle by the name of Dwight Howard.  Thus, I’ll give him some love by placing his image at the top of this post.

Atlanta Hawks: Peachtree Hoops

Charlotte Bobcats: Rufus on Fire | QueenCityHoops

Miami Heat: Peninsula Is Mightier | SportsAgentBlog.com

Orlando Magic: Third Quarter Collapse

Washington Wizards: Bullets Forever | Hoops Addict | Truth About It

Bonus Links: See full schedule here | Also see SBNation preview storystream

If there is one thing that many learned from this season’s NBA Playoffs, it is that Orlando Magic small forward Hedo Turkoglu is a great basketball player. Hedo and his agent Lon Babby have realized this and are using it to their advantage. Turkoglu opted out of his final year with the Magic and has decided, in turn, to test the market. Babby says the market for his client appears to be “robust.”

Turkoglu would be scheduled to make $7.3 million next season if he had stayed in Orlando under the terms of his contract. Personally, I think this is a smart move on his part for a couple of reasons. For one, I am a firm believer in getting out while on top. There are many unknowns in Hedo’s case if he were to return to Orlando for his final contract year. A repeat performance (or better) may not occur, and if it doesn’t, it will significantly drop his value, thus giving him lower-priced contract offers.

Right now, Hedo Turkoglu is at his best and his stock is set firmly at the top. Great move Hedo and Lon. 2009 will be very profitable!

If you have had trouble keeping up with Clay Moser over the years, it is understandable. Twenty plus years of experience in the basketball industry can make for a difficult task. Moser’s wealth of knowledge has led him to his latest stop as head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Developmental League.

Moser’s career began back in 1984 where he was an assistant coach at the junior college level. He was then fortunate enough to have his first NCAA Division 1 coaching experience under the legendary Jim Valvano at NC State.  Since that time, he has been an assistant for two more teams, including the San Antonio Spurs summer league squad in 2005, has been a head coach twice, and served as an advanced scout for the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and most recently, the Orlando Magic. One of Moser’s jobs brought him overseas, where he acted as head coach and team consultant of the Jilin Northeastern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. Moser’s extensive coaching experience positions him incredibly well to be a coach in the NBA.

Aside from a coaching standpoint, Moser has also spent time in the front office. He was the Senior VP & VP of Basketball Operations for the CBA, CEO of the Idaho Stampede, an NBA Consultant, and Vice President of Business Development for the New Orleans Hornets. In his role as an NBA consultant, Moser ran a variety of projects in Basketball Operations, International Business Development and Team Business Operations. Not only is Moser more than qualified to coach a team, he has the credentials of an NBA GM, as well.

There is no doubting how impressive the track record is that Moser has compiled over the years. He has shown a tireless work ethic during his surge through the ranks and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. He is enjoying his current stay as a head coach in the Developmental League and his well-rounded NBA background leave him with no other place to go but up from there. With continued success in its farm system, don’t be surprised to see Moser take his numerous skills to the league as a top assistant or even head coach in the near future.

Atlanta Hawks
Matt McHale: Basketbawful
Hoopinion: Peachtree Hoops

Charlotte Bobcats
BrettL: Queen City Hoops
Ziggy: BobcatsPlanet

Miami Heat
Darren Heitner: SportsAgentBlog.com
Gregory Broome: The Peninsula is Mightier

Orlando Magic
Ben: Third Quarter Collapse

Washington Wizards
Rashad: Hoops Addict
HoopsAvenue: HoopsAvenue
Mike Prada: Bullets Forever
Truth: Truth About It Dot Net

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com

Building Magic week’s mission is to bring the Orlando Magic organization closer together in the offseason by having a week full of workouts, team-building activities, and other events. Tomorrow is Media Day, so anyone in the Villanova area looking to get some interviews can head to the Summit Sports Training Center starting at 9 a.m. EST.

A good friend of mine and noted expert on the business of sports, Marc Isenberg, will be speaking at 10:30 a.m. EST on Thursday. If you are unable to hear him speak at any of the college sports symposiums that he frequents (including University of Florida’s) and are in the region, I suggest you go check him out.

Since Brandon Jennings (the Arizona recruit) signed with Roma of Italy, decided to pass up college and play professionally in Europe, many have followed in his shoes.  Jennings was setting an example for many others to skip college and play overseas.  The NBA’s one and done rule would then be avoided and the athletes would be able to play in the NBA after one year.

While we have not seen any athletes other than Jennings skip college to play overseas, Arroyo is one of the many athletes continuing the trend of NBA players leaving America to play more serious roles and earn more money elsewhere.  The big international clubs are the ones who have the money and the connections to land these talented players and grant high paying contracts. It looks like the flood gates have opened this summer, as we have now witnessed a multitude of players leave the NBA and head overseas.

Maccabi Tel-Aviv is one of those big clubs with many foreign contacts. The Israeli league is well-respected around the world. Maccabi reached the Euro league title game last season and has won the European title five times since 1977.  They were also one of the teams to beat an NBA team on North American soil with a 105-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors during the 2005-06-exhibition season.  This gave them international exposure and attracted great American players and others to the Israeli league.

Maccabi is coming off a good season, but had an unfortunate ending, in which it inexplicably lost the Israeli championship to the lesser known Hapoel Holon team. Maccabi was looking to make some moves and some high priced signings this summer to forget about their disappointing performance in the finals.  The club was also talking to Miami Heat star Jason Williams before they acquired Arroyo from the Magic.

Jennings might be the first and only one from High School that is headed overseas for now, but I believe that many more will follow. Here is a list of the other players who have decided to leave America and sign with European teams.  Serbia’s Nenad Krstic, Spain’s Juan Carlos Navarro and Jorge Garbajosa, Argentina’s Carlos Delfino and Slovenia’s Bostjan Nachbar and Primoz Brezec. All these individuals have decided to throw away their current NBA contracts and sign with European teams.  Their agents did negotiate a most important opt out clause in their contracts, which will allow them to reevaluate their decision and permit them to head back to the NBA after the season if they wish.